Technology Trends

These are six areas that we feel are currently important to a successful acquisition
of a new product or the development of a new innovative solution in this day and age.
These are the topics that we would like to make common place when investigating new
technology here at Cal State San Marcos.

Mobile First

Mobile devices are a part of everyday life and will continue to be an integral part
of the campus culture. Our future technology goal is allowing our students to access
any campus service through the CSUSM Mobile app. Within 3 to 5 taps using the CSUSM
app, we would like our students to be able to do such tasks as register for classes,
make an advising appointment or buy a ticket to the volleyball game. The possibilities
for using a mobile device for campus services is continuously growing and we want
to make sure that any student facing system is available to them on their mobile device.

Common Experience

Aligning with the concept of our services being accessed on our user’s mobile devices,
we want to provide this mobile experience with a familiarity across all different
services. Having students use different interfaces across campus when using different
online services or mobile apps creates a confusing disconnection of the student from
the campus in a digital sense. All areas on campus want to have an affiliation with
the students but should not provide a different set of information or experience in
the digital world. In the case of mobile apps, there are plenty of services out there
that provide their own version of a app for students to use. Our vision is to take
that data or service that is provided in the 3rd party app and make it available in the CSUSM campus app. Eliminating disjunction
in the experience provided in the mobile platform. We want the campus to be front
and center and all the divisions on campus to be the supporting cast.

Personalization

As more personal data is shared on social media platforms, mobile apps and other websites,
users have become accustom to receiving a personalized experience in all facets of
the technological world. As a result, the new generation of students, parents and
alums expect personalized and adaptive solutions to their college needs and wants.
Our campus is constantly collecting data about our students in such ways as where
they get help on campus, what events they attend or, through our Degree Planner program,
what classes they may be interested in. This data can help our campus departments
personalize their communications and offerings to students. Connected technologies
enable provide a personalized experience on digital channels.

Digitalization

There are many different procedures on campus that are still paper based. Many have
come to find that making digital versions of the information that is contained in
paper format is helpful in saving time and organization. Even though making digital
versions of these once paper documents is helpful; we do not want to take digital
copies of the information and use the same processes that have been used in the past.
By using technology and the mobile format, we can create new ways of collecting and
storing information and automating processes. Much of this information could be shared
across platforms to further unify campus procedures. An example of this would be digital
form or application that would be auto populated with data that has already be collected
in other system and routed to the appropriate parties with minimal user interaction.
If we already know the name and contact information of a user, why would we have them
fill out this information again in a different system. The technology should be doing
the simple thinking and mundane tasks. Not the user.

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Siloed Data

Data Silos are separate databases or set of data files that are not part of an organization's
enterprise-wide data administration. They exist separately; without sharing, cross-referencing,
interpreting, adding to each other’s self-contained data sets. We would like to have
data from all different areas of campus and be accessible from one location. This
allows the campus to have unified data that provides insights to past and future campus
objectives. Simply put, siloed data creates divisions within organizations that isolate
departments from departments, teams from teams, and eventually even people from people.

Accessibility

So much of what we do is a function of interactions with technology. We provide online
services to students to initiate and check the status of processes related to admissions,
registration, financial aid, and more. We offer online courses, interactive tutorials,
and social media engagement points. We provide technology-based pathways for faculty
and staff to accomplish their goals or complete a job-related task. The challenge
is that if we aren’t careful, we can easily place barriers in those paths without
realizing it. Universities and colleges are required under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure the accessibility of all campus
technology. We must evaluate the degree to which our processes and learning materials
can be accessed by individuals using screen readers, file readers, voice recognition
programs, modified input devices, caption and subtitle files, Braille displays, and
more. Those who rely on accessibility features can be impeded when information accessibility
standards and technology procurement policies are either not clearly established,
or not reliably enforced. Our responsibility, as a campus, is to look at new technology
with accessibility in mind and determine if the product is the right choice to be
used in certain campus environments.